Steam and hot-water furnace



J. A. WADDELL, JR. STEAM AND HOT WATER FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-14,1916.

Patented Oct. 19,1920.

5 SHEETSSHEET I.

ATTORNEYS.

J. A. WAD DELL, JR. STEAM AND HOT WATER FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- [4, I916.

' 1,356,028-, Patented Oct. 19,1920.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

\ *ll-AWMZ? ArTonnErs,

J. A. WADDELL, JR.

STEAM AND HOT WATER'FURNACE.

APPLlCATlON FILED OCT. I4. 1916.-

1,356,028. Pamnted Oct. 19, 1920.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

INVENTOR AT TORNE ks J. A. WADDELL, JR. STEAM AND HOT WATER FURNACEJ APFLICATION FILED 00114, 1916.

Patented Oct. 19, 1920.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

INVENTOR! ATTORNEYS.

J. A. WADDELL, JR.

} STEAM AND HOT WATER FURNA CE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-14, I916.

Patented 0ct.19, 1920.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

JsTAZWM/m arts insure com UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH A, WADDELL, JR., OF SCBANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO SPENCER HEATER COMPANY, OESCRANTON, SYLV'ANIA.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn A. Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing. cranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of '--Pennsylvan1a, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Steam and Hot-Water Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates primarily to fire boxes for receiving and holding fuel such as coal, during combustion. It is designed for and is herein illustrated in connection with furnaces for heating water that is to be circulated as hot water, or in the form, of steam in connection with heating plants for buildings. But the invention is not restricted to this particular use.

One object of the invention is to confine the fuel in a'formand under conditions that will 'plete distillation of its combustible constituents, to which end, one feature of, the invention consists in confining the fuel, during combustion, in one or more vertical columns of longitudinal dimension determined mainly by the capacity to be given to the furnace, of a vertical dimension suitable to insure complete burning of the fuel and its delivery into the form of ash' at adumping point at the lower end of the column, and of a transverse dimension that will insure maintenance of an effective fire bed without excessive obstruction to draft; the

column of burning fuel being confined between walls which, while preventing lateral escape of the fuel, will afford a free passage of air transversely through the fuel column and into the heat-absorbing spaces of the boiler; this condition being preferably maintained throughout the vertical column of fuel and being realized preferably by confining the fuel between two substantially vertical walls having air passages extending through them; walls of the air passages being inclined downwardl'y to resist escape of the fuel through the air passages.

Another object of the present invention is to provide for discharging at will, a measured quantity of the lowermost stratum or portion of the column of material, in the fire box, after it has reached the condition of ash, to which end, another feature of the invention consists in providing a bottom clo- Specification of Letters Patent.

WADDELL,

. magazine thus provided bei PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- BTEAM AN'D HOT-WATER FURNACE.

Patented Oct. 19, 192 0.

Application filed'october 14, 1916. Seria1 No. 125,651.

of the valve efficient operation of a fire box embodying the princlples above described, to which end, another feature consists in combining two columns of-fuel in spaced relation, with a common air flue between them, so that opposed radiation from their intake walls effectively heats the incoming air, while radiation, in addition to the discharge of burning gases from their discharge walls. may-act upon the heating surfaces; the intake walls, as well as the air flue formed between them, being preferably continued vertically to correspond with the maintained fire bed, and this air flue being preferably closed at top 'by a water cap supported upon t .e spaced walls and having connection, as for instance, at its respective ends, with the circulation system of the boiler, so that it may add its heat-absorbing capacity to that of the other absorbing units of the boiler.

A further object is to provide for an efficient fuel supply that will at all times maintain "the full supply of fuel to the fire bed, to which end, a, further feature consists in superimposing upon the legs ofthe box, and preferably above the water cap of the intake flue, a fuel reservoir from which fuel will pass by gravity into the legs of the fire box and maintain the columns of fire bed in the required and compact condition for effective burnin the ng prefrably formed with a restricted throat which may be realized by inwardly deflecting a wall or walls of the magazine, and in the duplex form, forming and locating the water cap so that it will coact with the walls of the magazine in developing the restricted throats.

Further objects relate to conditions through which to realize, effectively, the several rincipal objects above enumerated, to whicli ends, further features consist in utilizing circulating connections of the boiler as supports for the walls of the fire box; and constructing these walls in sub In order that the invention may be fully understood, two illustrative embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-'-- Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section of a boiler made upof cast metal sections, to which one form of the present invention is applied.

Fi 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on the l1ne 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 33-of Fig. 1.

Figs. 4 and 5 are detail perspective views of units which go to make up the walls on the discharge and intake sides of the fire bed, respectively.

Fig. 6 is a-vertical transverse section of a boiler of tubular type having the present invention applied thereto.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 5, 1 represents a magazine, 2 the fire boxes, 3 the combustion chamber, and 4, 4 4 the circulating flues of a cast section boiler, made up preferably of section units 5, 5, brought into abutment at 6 and constructed with suitable water passages in their walls, as well as flanges through which the sections are brought into abutment in building up thefurnace.

According to the present invention, air entering at the base 7 of the furnace passes upwardly through a flue 8, and thence laterally through air passages 9 and across the column of fuel in the fire boxes 2, whence itescapes through the openings 10 into the combustion chambers 3. Each of the fire --boxes 2 is closed at the bottom through means of a dumping valve or grate, preferably of the clam shell type com sed of members 11 pivoted at 11 and orced to move in unison by means of gear wheels 11, so that when oscillated in a direction to open at the top, they close together at the bottom and admit a measured quantity of ash, and when returned to closed position at the top, they discharge the measured quantity of ash thus withdrawn and so pro vide a'means for getting rid of the consumed portion of the fuel and excludinglive coals, without disturbing the column of fire bed. In order to operate with greater effiiency, the fire boxes 2 are arranged in duplicate on opposite sides of the air flue 8 with similar intake passages 9 and discharge pas- .cast sectional boilers.

to develop constricted throats 1" in connection with the water cap 12, and the latter is formed with inclined upper surfaces to di rect the fuel to these throats.

The walls 9, may be constructed in various ways. Preferably, they are built up x of sections; the wall 9" being formed of sections 9 with recesses that form the air passages 9 through them, and with seats 9 at their endsthat conform to the water tubes 13, 13, by which they are supported, or to the convex lower edges 12 of the water ca 12 supported upon them. ,By this metho standard units may be employed for building up different'sizes of furnace and parts may readily be assembled in setting up the boiler, or replaced when burned out. The lower supporting tubes 13 are preferably united with tubes 13", so as to provide walls for confining the ash immediately above the dumping valves. The walls defining the discharge passages 10 are built up of sections formed with seats 10 at the ends there of to seat against the sustaining ledges 10 on the boiler sections 5, 5, the plates 10' of the wall sections being provided with mortises 10 for receiving the plates 10 whereby the latter may be positioned to reflect the fuel inwardly away from the combustion chambers 3.

From the foregoing construction, it will be seen that air rising through the central flue 8 passes transversely through the respective legs of the fire bed, keeping up combustion therein and causing the burning gases to pass into the combustion chambers 3, when they escape through the circulating flues 4, 4", 4" in the manner well known in Heat radiated from the legs of the fire bed raises the temperature of the incoming air to support combustion and thus increases efficiency of burning. Heat is also radiated through the discharge assages 10 toward the heating surfaces of the boiler units and thus adds to the heating effect of the burning gases, the plates 10 being inclined substantially as shown, which presents them about per endicularly to the angle of repose of the el, and being spaced vertically so far-as practicable without permitting fuel, which settles downwardly past the lower edge of one plate, flowing outwardly beyond the upper edge of'the next lower plate in assuming its said angle of repose.

As will be understood upon reference to Fig. 6, the invention is not limited in its application to cast sectional boilers, but may be used with equal advantage in aboiler havmg water tubes 14 with concentric fire tubes and drums 16, or other equivalent sion vertical fire box or vertical walls in reference to the walls which define said fire box, I do not wish to have it understood that these terms are to be taken literally, but merely indicate, generally, a fire box or the walls defining the" fire box which extend upwardly at such angles or approach the vertical to such an extentv as to present the problem of confining the fire bed against I falling away laterally; in other'words, positioned to introduce a distinct departure from mere grates upon which the fuel will rest, or to which it'will lie by gravity. It is obvious that while the disposition of the firebox or twin fire boxes herein illustrated is preferred, the principle of my invention would not be departed fromby somewhat inclining these fire boxes or either of them in either direction to the vertical.

I claim 1. A furnace comprising a central magazine with depending side walls, flues and heat absorbing surfaceson either side of said magazine, combustion chambers located on,

the outer sides of the depending magazine walls, and a pair of vertical fire boxes located beneath and served in common by said magazine; said fire boxes comprising outer walls in vertical alinement with the depend ing side walls of the magazine and vertical inner walls spaced apart to leave a central air flue between them; said inner and outer fire-box walls having air passages that develop a horizontal draft through the fire boxes; and said fire boxes being adapted to be closed at top by the body of coal in theimagazine, and having suitable bottom clos- 2. In a furnace, the combination of a magazine, and a pair of vertical fire boxes located beneath and served in common by said magazine, said fire boxes having spaced inner walls which leave a vertical air flue between the fire boxes and apertured outer walls, and said furnace being provided with combustion chambers laterally disposed with reference to the outer walls of the fire boxes. '3. In a furnace, the combination of a magazine, a pair of vertical fire'boxes lo-' cated beneath and served in common by said magazine, said fire boxes having innerwalla spaced apart to provide an air supply flue between them and apertured to admit air from the flue to the 'fire boxes, apertured outer walls to the fire boxes whereby hori-' zontal draft is permitted through the fire boxes, and a deflecting cap .surmounting the inner spaced wall of the fire boxes and formin an upper end closure for the air flue.

' .he foregoing specification signed at Scranton, Pennsylvania.

JOSEPH A. WADDELL,JB. 

